Samsung Feature Will Help Transform Old Galaxy Phones Into Smart Home Devices

Samsung is offering another option for old smartphones through its Upcycling at Home program, which will help put some older Galaxy phones to new uses.

With many opting to grab the newest mobile devices on the market as soon as they are released, a lot of smartphones end up gathering dust in homes or get traded in for a newer model. Others opt to sell their phones at a lower price to get some of their money back.

For those who may still have an old Samsung smartphone stored somewhere, the company's SmartThings app could help transform the device into a smart home sensor with some awesome functions. They can do this simply by downloading a software update on the app, which offers two basic functions: audio sensor and light sensor, The Verge reported.

This could allow users to transform old Galaxy phones into devices such as a baby monitor or a dog bark detector.

But of course, there is a catch. The only phones that can be used are models released in 2018 and later. The smartphone should also be running Android 9 or later to be eligible.

Ideally, a new Samsung smartphone is needed to assist in the setup, although there is a way to do it without one. The most important thing is that both devices need to have SmartThings and the latest software updates installed on the phone.

The steps to set up old phones can be found here. It is a long process but worth the effort. Assuming that users have already gone through the process, the new sensor offers users a variety of features that may come in handy in any abode.

Although limited, Samsung phone owners can use the audio sensor to detect a dog barking, glass breaking, a baby crying, knocking on the door and a cat meowing. After detection, the device then sends an alert to the phone with a recording of the sound.

While some may be underwhelmed, the key thing to note here is avoiding cluttered rooms and making sure that those old phones still serve a purpose. Samsung said it plans to add more functionalities in the future under the Upcycling platform as it continues to find ways to convert old phones into a variety of IoT (Internet of Things) through a simple software update.

“The program transforms Galaxy devices into SmartThings devices and demonstrates the power of our intelligent IoT platform to broaden the possibilities of what users can do with their old phones. Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users will have access to the complete SmartThings ecosystem, enabling them to explore broader updates and features without having to purchase a new device,” said Samsung VP Jaeyeon Jung.